Big Yellow Taxi
by alsdssg
Summary: Sequel to Beautiful Disaster. Murtagh ponders his imprisonment and impending doom while he sits in the infirmary.


Big Yellow Taxi

Disclaimer: I don't own Eragon or Big Yellow Taxi. Anyone still think I do?

Murtagh sat there thinking. He didn't have much else to do. He had been mildly surprised that his younger brother had become strong enough to capture him.

_Murtagh, you let him. You know that. I know that,_ Thorn told him.

_Why would I do that? _Murtagh asked irritably.

_Because he's your brother, and because you wanted to see her again,_ the ruby dragon answered, putting emphasis on the word she.

Murtagh didn't answer. Everything had gone wrong since the moment he was born. It had kept going down hill from there. It had gone up hill briefly when he ran away from Galbatorix when he was eighteen. When the twins captured him again, it had hit an all time low. He was a slave to a man he hated and separated from his brother and his love.

But that wasn't right. Things in general had gone down hill since Galbatorix and the Forsworn conquered Alagaësia. They had changed everything. It had been a place of peace. Everything had prospered. Murtagh had been told it had been a paradise. Now it was only a shadow of paradise. paradise for the few with money. He didn't think he'd known what paradise and peace meant he had come to the Varden. To Nasuada.

They paved paradise and put up a parkin' lot  
With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swingin' hot spot.  
Don't it always seem to go  
That you don't know what you got till it's gone?  
They paved paradise and put up a parkin' lot.

The Varden had been the first place he'd been to that hadn't been full of poverty and despair. They seemed to have hope, and they managed to make ends meet because of the dwarves' generosity. Now they survived because of their own merit, Nasuada's cleverness, and Orrin's generosity. Generosity was something that Galbatorix didn't quite seem to understand. The people were crippled by his taxes each year.

They took all the trees, and put em in a tree museum,  
And they charged the people a dollar and a half to see them.  
No, no, no, don't it always seem to go  
That you don't know what you've got till it's gone?  
They paved paradise, and put up a parkin' lot.

He thought of how Galbatorix had lied to everyone. Alagaësia's "king" had told his people that the riders were corrupted, that the elves that controlled them were worse, and that he was their savior. If anyone disagreed, Galbatorix could make them believe him. He was that convincing. Murtagh thought of how he himself had been one of those who believed the "king's" lies. He didn't know what made him stop. Maybe it was when he had fought with Eragon. Maybe it was when he kissed Nasuada. Maybe it was something Thorn had said. It didn't matter.

He knew that the riders hadn't been perfect. He probably wouldn't have believed anyone who had told him they were perfect even that person told the truth. He knew they were better than Galbatorix though. Murtagh didn't believe that many people could be worse.

Hey farmer, farmer, put away your DDT.

I don't care about spots on my apples,  
Leave me the birds and the bees – please.  
Don't it always seem to go  
That you don't know what you got till it's gone?  
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.  
Hey now, they've paved paradise to put up a parking lot.  
Why not?

Murtagh didn't bother to wonder what it would have been like if Morzan had never joined Galbatorix, if Galbatorix had been defeated, even if he hadn't been captured by the twins, whom he hated almost as much as he had hated Galbatorix. He didn't bother to think that he could have grown up knowing his brother and his cousin, who had never even seen before, or at least getting to know them better. He didn't bother to think that he would have never been imprisoned for his heritage or at least gained freedom from it. He didn't bother to think that he could've loved Nasuada normally. As Thorn said, it wasn't worth thinking about what might have been. It could drive you crazy.

Murtagh knew that the moment he had sworn to Galbatorix, a door had shut. He would never do any of those things because of that door. Nasuada was gone. They had left each other because of the lots life had assigned them.

Listen, late last night, I heard the screen door swing,  
And a big yellow taxi took my girl away  
Now don't it always seem to go  
That you don't know what you got till it's gone  
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot  
Hey now now, don't it always seem to go  
That you don't know what you got till it's gone  
They paved paradise to put up a parking lot  
Why not, they paved paradise  
They put up a parking lot  
Hey hey hey, paved paradise and put up a parking lot

_Why do they say there is comfort in truth? _he asked Thorn.

_Because they don't know. But you can't keep living in lies either. It's not easy to live with. Maybe trying not to think about it will help. We'll both be dead soon anyway,_ the red dragon replied. The last statement hadn't really been meant as a comfort. Thorn had just been trying to make it seem better. It had worked a little.

Brief Nasuada P.O.V.

The Varden's leader stood outside the council room. Orrin, the dwarf's new king Íothiorn, and Jörmundur had demanded that Murtagh and Thorn be killed if Eragon and Arya couldn't break the oath. Both magic users had declared that there was no possible way. She had agreed because she'd been forced to. It made her hate herself.

Eragon came to stand next to her.

"You don't want him to die, do you?" he asked.

Nasuada looked up at him, surprised. "No," she whispered

"I don't like it either. He's my brother, and he was my friend," the younger rider explained.

"There's nothing that can be done," Nasuada told him. She heard her voice crack.

"I think there may be," Eragon said slowly.

Nasuada turned to look at him.

_Don't get excited,_ she told herself.

Aloud, she said, "What?"

"I've talked to Arya. If Murtagh goes far enough away, Galbatorix cannot reach him. He would have to travel to that place and bring him back. Arya says she knows of a place where he can go. It's over the sea. If we let him and Thorn fly away, they might make it before Galbatorix figures out that he's escaped," Eragon told her.

Nasuada stared at him. "Would it work?" she asked.

"I think it would," he said slowly.

"But what about the barrier?" she asked.

"I can break that," he explained. "You can go help Saphira let Thorn go."

Nasuada nodded and ran towards where she knew Thorn to be imprisoned.

Back to Murtagh P.O.V.

Murtagh looked up as the door opened. He half hoped/half dreaded that it would be Nasuada. It wasn't. Eragon stood in the doorway.

"We've figured out a way to let you escape," Eragon whispered. He muttered something under his breath, and the invisible barrier around Murtagh disappeared.

"What is it?" Murtagh inquired, trying to sound casual. It was too much to hope that his younger brother had somehow figured out a way to cancel-out his oath.

"Arya knows of a land where you can go. Nasuada is with Saphira. They are freeing Thorn. We must move quickly if we are to have any success," Eragon explained rapidly.

Murtagh nodded and stood up. He didn't like this thought. In a way, it was comforting, but he hated thinking that he still couldn't gain anything he truly wanted. It was like what Galbatorix had done. They were asking him to give up everything. At least they had his best interests at heart. Galbatorix only had his own interests at heart.

I don't wanna give it.  
Why you wanna give it?  
Why you wanna givin it all away?  
Hey, hey, hey.  
Now you wanna give it?  
I should wanna give it  
Cuz you're givin it all away, no no.

Both riders walked down to Thorn's prison. They stopped at the armory to get Murtagh's weapons. Thorn stood there. Nasuada had saddled him.

_Bitter, is it not, my friend?_ Thorn asked.

_Bitter indeed,_ Murtagh agreed.

He turned to Eragon, put his hands on his shoulders, pulled Zar'roc out of its sheath, and handed it to Eragon. "You will have more need of it than I," he told his brother simply. Murtagh took Eragon's own borrowed sword. His younger brother nodded and left.

He then turned to Nasuada. He put both his arms around her waist and kissed her long and hard. He didn't think he'd let her go. He did. He hated to loose everything that truly mattered to him. Very few things in his life had. Tornac had perished during his first bid for freedom. He would likely never see Eragon again, and Nasuada was gone forever. All he had left was Thorn.

I don't wanna give it.  
Why you wanna give it?  
Why you wanna givin it all away?  
Cuz you're givin it all givin it all away yeah yeah.  
Cuz You're givin it all away hey, hey, hey.

_You know you couldn't live without me,_ the dragon remarked.

_No, I could not,_ Murtagh agreed.

He mounted Thorn without looking at Nasuada. He couldn't bear to see her face. He didn't want to know if she were crying or emotionless. No, he didn't want to know. It might break his heart if he looked back. Thorn took off.

As they flew, Murtagh's curiosity got the better of him. He looked over his shoulder and found that he couldn't see Nasuada anymore. If this was because she had left or because he and Thorn were too far away, Murtagh would never know because he would never see her again to ask her.

Hey, paved paradise, to put up a parking lot.  
La, la, la, la, la, la, la ,la ,la ,la ,la.  
Paved paradise, and put up a parking lot.

How did you like this one? I might write a chapter fic as a sequel to these two after I'm done my current two chapter fics. I can't make any promises, though. I'm sticking to the last line if I do. I know it's sad that they can't be together. I cried writing this. I'm such a sap. Oh well. Review, please.


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